How women can build professional tribes

Many of my female #coaching clients struggle to build and leverage powerful social networks, which can limit their career opportunities. Many women feel uncomfortable "bragging" about their accomplishments, preferring instead to rely on good performance as a primary career strategy. Furthermore, research shows that when they do talk about their accomplishments, doing so has a less positive impact than when men do the same thing. This new research from Carla Rua-Gomez, Gianluca Carnabuci, and Martin C. Goossen shows that women are well served by building high-status networks through shared connections. Women are about one-third more likely than men to form high-status connections via a third-party tie. "Third-party ties serve as bridges, connecting individuals to a high-status network that might otherwise remain out of reach. Such ties help both men and women forge valuable professional connections. But why are third-party ties especially beneficial for women? Because they are not mere connections; they are endorsements, character references, and amplifiers of capability. They carry the implicit approval and trust of the mutual contact. When a respected colleague introduces a woman to a high-status individual, that introduction comes with a subtext of credibility. It signals to the high-status connection that the woman has already been vetted and deemed competent by someone they trust. This endorsement can be a critical factor in gaining access to circles that might otherwise remain closed off due to conscious or unconscious biases." #careerstrategies #women #networking https://lnkd.in/eDBqbQcG

A Delicate Balance: Building Your Profile as a Woman in Professional Services. Having coached hundreds of professional services associates and partners, I've witnessed personally how women often hesitate to build their public profiles. Women, no matter how talented, frequently face what I think of as the " female reputation building paradox.” - that is being judged for both speaking up and staying quiet. A recent FT article by Anjli Raval perfectly captures this challenge. Here's what I've learned works, based on supporting countless women. 🔹 Start Small, Start Early Don't wait until you're in a senior position. Begin crafting your professional voice from day one and do it authentically. Co-author articles with senior colleagues. Share insights about projects (within confidentiality bounds). Discuss industry trends you're observing. It's not about self-promotion - it's about contributing to professional dialogue. 🔹 Build Your Support System I've seen the most successful women professionals cultivate their networks early. Connect with marketing and communications colleagues within your firm. Find more senior colleagues who have navigated this path. Join professional networks where you can practise using your voice in a supportive environment. 🔹 Focus on Value-Add Content Share insights that help others. What challenges are you solving? What trends are you noticing? What lessons have you learned? This approach, as personal branding expert ALIZA LICHT notes, shapes "a narrative that is both elegant and appropriate." 🔹 Remember Why It Matters As Ruth Handcock of Octopus Money points out, we have "a moral duty to prove to the next generation that “you can see and therefore you can be.”” Every woman who thoughtfully builds her professional presence creates momentum for others. The path to building a strong professional profile as a woman isn't about following loud, self-promotional methods. It's about consistently sharing valuable insights, building genuine connections, and remembering that your voice matters - not just for you, but for all the women who will come after you. What strategies have you found effective in building your professional presence or coaching others?

“Find your tribe” isn’t enough to help women grow in construction. To wrap up WIC Week, I was going to post about the importance of finding your tribe, but looking back, that’s not all I needed to grow in my career. It’s also crucial to advocate for yourself, and find champions who help you rise. Here’s what I see will actually elevate women in construction: 🌀Advocacy No one will spontaneously notice your awesomeness. Document your achievements, build your personal brand and communicate it regularly. It takes YOU for you to grow. 🌀Building your tribe. Find a community of people who will support you, and support them back. These are often women who are peers, mentors, and industry friends. When you strengthen others, you strengthen the entire ecosystem for women in construction. 🌀Counsel with your Champions. Champions are more than mentors: they are often in leadership roles, and have authority to support your growth. These are the leaders who promote you, can give raises, and are in the room where it happens. Align yourself and advocate for yourself with these Champions. It takes all three to encourage, advocate, and help women rise in construction: 🌀Advocacy 🌀Building A Tribe 🌀Champions The future of women in construction depends not just on finding our tribes, but on boldly advocating for ourselves and strategically connecting with champions who can open doors we didn't even know existed.

A strong professional network is essential for women in tech. Early in my career, access to mentors and peers who provided guidance was invaluable. They helped me navigate the tech world and introduced me to growth and development opportunities that helped me get where I am today. Some of the best ways I’ve built my network: 1. Seeking mentorship: Find mentors who can offer guidance, share experiences, and provide career advice. Mentorship is crucial for navigating challenges and achieving professional goals. 2. Leveraging social media: Use platforms like LinkedIn to connect with industry leaders, join relevant groups, and participate in discussions. 3. Joining professional organizations: Engage with groups dedicated to women in tech. I highly recommend checking out organizations like AnitaB.org, Million Women Mentors , WOMEN IN TECH ® Global, and Women In Technology (WIT). Networks are crucial for sharing knowledge, finding new opportunities, and gaining the confidence to excel in your career. What tips would you offer to women interested in growing their networks? 

What if the secret to success isn’t just talent - it’s finding our tribe, like fish and birds do? They flock together - and for good reason. We see all types of species swim and soar in similar groups. Why? Safety, communication, and success. Birds of a feather don’t just flock together — they survive and thrive together. In the legal profession, affinity networks work the same way. Whether you're a first-generation lawyer, part of a diverse bar association, or simply someone seeking camaraderie with others who "get it" - affinity groups offer connection, empathy, and collaboration that boost confidence and help us build our careers. Affinity groups for women in law aren’t just social clubs with wine and war stories. They’re power circles. A place where ambition is understood, not questioned. In a profession that can be isolating, especially for women climbing the ladder, these networks are lifelines — rich in real talk, strategic advice, and much-needed perspective. When women in law come together, it’s not just community — it’s collective power. I was in the original, founding group that started Women Owned Law and felt this first hand. Still do. So while the birds and fish have built-in squads, here’s a reminder to ask ourselves: Who’s in your flock? Who’s in your school? Who’s consistently pushing you to level up? Being brilliant doesn’t mean flying solo — even eagles have nests! #lawyers #lawyercoach #law #legalcareercoach #lawyerlife #lawyercoaching #WomenInLaw #WomenOwnedLaw #AffinityNetworking #LegalLife

70% of communities fail. Mine don't. Here's the framework I use to build them. Most communities fail because they start backwards. They build the platform first, then hope people show up. Here's the 5-step framework I've used to build thriving communities for both women leaders (nearly 2,000 members) and industry organizations (70+ companies): 1) Start with careful participant selection → Don't chase scale. Chase alignment. → One unengaged member can kill the energy. 💎Quality beats quantity every single time. 2) Define your unique connection point → "Professional women" isn't enough. → "Women navigating male-dominated cultures" resonates. 🎯The more specific your shared challenge, the stronger the bond. 3) Build structure that removes social anxiety → Assign teams before people arrive. → Create agendas for every interaction. → Remove the guesswork from "how do I fit in?" 🏠Introverts shouldn't have to act like extroverts to belong. 4) Set clear intention (and enforce it) → No sales pitches allowed. → No toxic positivity or negativity. → Vulnerability is rewarded, not punished. 🛡️Rules create safety. Safety creates connection. 5) Create rituals that build excitement → Annual moments that people protect on their calendars. → Exclusive access that feels special, not business-like. → Traditions that members look forward to all year. 🏆When people guard your event dates before you announce them, you've won. The result? Members who respond to each other's emails. Who refer business to each other. Who genuinely celebrate each other's wins. That's not networking. That's belonging. 👉 Follow Stephanie Eidelman (Meisel) for more ideas about how to increase your visibility and advance your career. 🎫 Stop networking. Start belonging. Join us at WCF 2025, where you'll build the connections that respond to your emails and champion your success. (https://hubs.la/Q03dYbHY0)

Being authentic is great. But evolving in that authenticity is transformative. I believe, I am not alone, when I say, I crave a space where I can be my authentic self. I also experienced, that sometimes, we need to look for that space outside of closest work environment, to be able to go back stronger. A space, free from the pressures of conformity and judgment. A space, with an outside perspective, honest feedback, that is a personal sounding board. This is where a professional tribe comes in. I have shared stories on how I found some of my tribes, what networking means to me. I even shared some podcasts on what some great thinkers say about tribes. What I learnt down the road, is that my tribes help me strengthen my authentic self. I am encouraged to be genuine, share my boldest ideas, and experiment without fear. It's a space where vulnerability is celebrated. Within your tribe, you'll find mentors and friends who offer support and constructive feedback. They help you align your actions with your core values and help you to embrace your unique strengths. And then there's the diversity. My tribe is a melting pot of backgrounds and perspectives. It surely broadens my horizons and challenge my assumptions. It's a constant reminder for me, that there's no single "right" way to be. I think of a tribe like a collective coach, guiding me on a journey of self-discovery and growth. But what makes these tribes so special? It's the: ↳ voluntary participation ↳ absence of hierarchy ↳ shared goals and values Connecting and exchanging inevitably develops your voice, your confidence, and ultimately, your authenticity. Together for a stronger individual. So, have you already found your tribe? Dr. Gitanjali Ponnappa Carla Maldonado, Ph.D. Margaret Breen #bettertogether #tribesatwork #intribewetrust #tlchange

>>>Do you have a networking plan? A sponsor? I've always actively supported women in building their networks. I regularly push my close friends to build their networks. Unfortunately, we are far worse at building social capital than men. What is social capital? Put simply, a high level of social capital means having good relationships with many people and access to valuable and diverse resources. A good relationship denotes strong norms of trust and reciprocity. You could think of this as goodwill, favors, obligation, or solidarity. Women typically have narrow and deep networks, while men have broad and shallow networks. Broad networks help find and spread ideas, while narrow networks provide close support. High-achieving women often have both. Here are 8 strategies to honour March 8 and help women combine local contact with global reach in professional networking: 1️⃣  𝗕𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 - instead of aiming for a vast network, focus on being strategic with a smaller group of people. 2️⃣ 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 - determine what you want to achieve through networking 3️⃣ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 - map out how often you want to network and stick to your plan, balancing broadening your network and deepening existing relationships. 4️⃣ 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Meeting industry professionals at local events can help expand your professional network. Face-to-face interactions are invaluable. (We are running #LinkedInLocal on March 25! You're welcome to join us in person.) 5️⃣ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 - start with LinkedIn. Join an online community. 6️⃣ ���𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀 - Find sponsors in your location to gain face time and access to global high-status networks. 7️⃣ 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝘀 - volunteer for local events, shop at local markets, or participate in local groups or clubs to build bridges across cultures and languages. Everybody needs friends close by. 8️⃣ 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 -  provide assistance, share insights, and support your network. When I contact my female friends and acquaintances, I'm sad about how little progress they have made in a year. Why don't we prioritize networking? Time constraints, family obligations, and the mode of a single married parent are the top 3 reasons. That puts us at a disadvantage in accessing career advancement, mentorship, and professional support. I want to know your why? If you have the answers, tell us below.↓